City quality of life indices are lists of cities that are ranked according to a defined measure of living conditions. In addition to considering the provision of clean water, clean air, adequate food and shelter, many indexes also measure more subjective elements including a city's capacity to generate a sense of community and offer hospitable settings for all, especially young people, to develop social skills, a sense of autonomy and identity.[1]
Regions with cities commonly ranked in the top 50 include the Canada, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.[2] Three examples of such surveys are Monocle's "Quality of Life Survey", the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Global Liveability Ranking", and "Mercer Quality of Living Survey". Numbeo has the largest statistics and survey data based on cities and countries.[3][third-party source needed] Deutsche Bank's Liveability Survey is another ranking of cities by quality of life.
The reason some cities appear in one ranking but not another is often related to the different criteria used between rankings, but more commonly it is related the difference in weighting given to similar factors.[4]
The EIU's Global Liveability Ranking
editThe Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes an annual Global Liveability Ranking, which ranks 140 cities for their urban quality of life based on assessments of their stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.[5]
Melbourne, Australia, had been ranked by the EIU as the world's most livable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.[6] Between 2004 and 2010, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most livable city, with Melbourne sharing first place in the inaugural 2002 report. Vancouver has ranked third since 2015, while Vienna, Austria, ranked second until 2018 when it climbed to the top spot.
The Syrian capital, Damascus, was ranked the least livable city of the 173 assessed in 2024.[7][8]
The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities.[9]
| EIU's Global Liveability Ranking 2024[10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | |
| 1 | Vienna |  Austria
|
| 2 | Copenhagen |  Denmark
|
| 3 | Zürich |  Switzerland
|
| 4 | Melbourne |  Australia
|
| 5 | Calgary |  Canada
|
| 5 | Geneva | Switzerland
|
| 7 | Sydney | Australia
|
| 7 | Vancouver | Canada
|
| 9 | Osaka |  Japan
|
| 9 | Auckland |  New Zealand
|
Monocle's Quality of Life Survey
editSince 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of livable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Livable Cities Index" and presented 20 top locations for quality of life.
Important criteria in this survey are safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, proactive policy developments and medical care.
The 2023 Monocle Survey determined the world's most livable city was Vienna, followed by Copenhagen, Munich and Zürich.[11]
| Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2023[11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | ||
| 1 | Vienna | Austria
| |
| 2 | Copenhagen | Denmark
| |
| 3 | Munich |  Germany
| |
| 4 | Zürich | Switzerland
| |
| 5 | Stockholm |  Sweden
| |
| 6 | Tokyo | Japan
| |
| 7 | Helsinki |  Finland
| |
| 8 | Madrid |  Spain
| |
| 9 | Lisbon |  Portugal
| |
| 10 | Melbourne | Australia
| |
| 11 | Berlin | Germany
| |
| 12 | Paris |  France
| |
| 13 | Amsterdam |  Netherlands
| |
| 14 | Sydney | Australia
| |
| 15 | Singapore |  Singapore
| |
| 16 | Kyoto | Japan
| |
| 17 | Athens |  Greece
| |
| 18 | Milan |  Italy
| |
| 19 | Oslo |  Norway
| |
| 20 | Seoul |  South Korea
| |
Global Finance's World's Best Cities to Live
editGlobal Finance is an English-language monthly financial magazine that publishes a list of the world's best cities to live that is based on a score that reflects a comprehensive list of eight unique factors. These are: economic strength; research and development; cultural interaction; livability; environment; accessibility; GDP per capita (nominal in U.S. dollars); and COVID-19 deaths per million for the country.[12]
| The World's Best Cities to Live In 2022[13] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | ||
| 1 | London |  United Kingdom
| |
| 2 | Tokyo | Japan
| |
| 3 | New York |  United States
| |
| 4 | Singapore | Singapore
| |
| 5 | Melbourne | Australia
| |
| 6 | Sydney | Australia
| |
| 7 | Paris | France
| |
| 8 | Los Angeles | United States
| |
| 9 | Shanghai |  China
| |
| 10 | Amsterdam | Netherlands
| |
Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking
editAmerican global human resources and related financial services consulting firm Mercer annually releases its Mercer Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York City is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability, public transport and access to goods and services. The list is intended to help multinational companies decide where to open offices or plants, and how much to pay employees. Mercer has ranked Austria's capital Vienna first in its annual "Quality of Living" survey since 2009.
| Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking 2023[14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | ||
| 1 | Vienna | Austria
| |
| 2 | Zürich | Switzerland
| |
| 3 | Auckland | New Zealand
| |
| 4 | Copenhagen | Denmark
| |
| 5 | Geneva | Switzerland
| |
| 6 | Frankfurt | Germany
| |
| 7 | Munich | Germany
| |
| 8 | Vancouver | Canada
| |
| 9 | Sydney | Australia
| |
| 10 | Düsseldorf | Germany
| |
| 11 | The Hague | Netherlands
| |
| 12 | Wellington | New Zealand
| |
| 13 | Bern | Switzerland
| |
| 14 | Basel | Switzerland
| |
| 14 | Amsterdam | Netherlands
| |
| 16 | Luxembourg |  Luxembourg
| |
| 17 | Toronto | Canada
| |
| 18 | Berlin | Germany
| |
| 18 | Ottawa | Canada
| |
| 20 | Montreal | Canada
| |
| 20 | Melbourne | Australia
| |
| 22 | Perth | Australia
| |
| 23 | Calgary | Canada
| |
| 24 | Oslo | Norway
| |
| 25 | Hamburg | Germany
| |
| 26 | Stockholm | Sweden
| |
| 26 | Stuttgart | Germany
| |
| 28 | Canberra | Australia
| |
| 29 | Singapore | Singapore
| |
| 29 | Adelaide | Australia
| |
| 31 | Nuremberg | Germany
| |
| 32 | Paris | France
| |
| 33 | Toulouse | France
| |
| 34 | Helsinki | Finland
| |
| 34 | Brisbane | Australia
| |
| 36 | Brussels |  Belgium
| |
| 37 | San Francisco | United States
| |
| 38 | Lyon | France
| |
| 39 | Lisbon | Portugal
| |
| 40 | New York City | United States
| |
The full ranking includes 241 cities.
Deutsche Bank Liveability Survey
editThe 2019 survey showed the following cities to be highest in quality of life, for numerous reasons[15] (e.g. style, affordability, happiness and pollution etc.):
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| Cities with the highest quality of life 2019[15] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | ||
| 1 | Zürich | Switzerland
| |
| 2 | Wellington | New Zealand
| |
| 3 | Copenhagen | Denmark
| |
| 4 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom
| |
| 5 | Vienna | Austria
| |
| 6 | Helsinki | Finland
| |
| 7 | Melbourne | Australia
| |
| 8 | Boston | United States
| |
| 9 | San Francisco | United States
| |
| 10 | Sydney | Australia
| |
Numbeo's Quality of Life Ranking
editNumbeo is a crowd-sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of health care, among other statistics.[16]
| Numbeo's Quality of Life Index In 2023[17] | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | Country/Region | |
| 1 | The Hague (Den Haag) | Netherlands
|
| 2 | Eindhoven | Netherlands
|
| 3 | Vienna | Austria
|
| 4 | Canberra | Australia
|
| 5 | Zürich | Switzerland
|
| 6 | Rotterdam | Netherlands
|
| 7 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg
|
| 8 | Helsinki | Finland
|
| 9 | Adelaide | Australia
|
| 10 | Reykjavík |  Iceland
|
| 11 | Copenhagen | Denmark
|
| 12 | Geneva | Switzerland
|
| 13 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom
|
| 14 | Amsterdam | Netherlands
|
| 15 | Jacksonville, FL | United States
|
| 16 | Orlando, FL | United States
|
| 17 | Tampa, FL | United States
|
| 18 | Munich | Germany
|
| 19 | Melbourne | Australia
|
| 20 | Sydney | Australia
|
| 21 | Portland, OR | United States
|
| 22 | Muscat |  Oman
|
| 23 | Brisbane | Australia
|
| 24 | Abu Dhabi |  United Arab Emirates
|
| 25 | Gothenburg | Sweden
|
| 26 | Raleigh, NC | United States
|
| 27 | Spokane, WA | United States
|
| 28 | Cambridge | United Kingdom
|
| 29 | Perth | Australia
|
| 30 | Austin, TX | United States
|
The full ranking includes 242 cities.
See also
edit
- European Green Capital Award – Award for a European city based on its environmental record
- Global city – City important to the world economy
- Healthy city – Concept in urban design for health
- List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees
- List of largest cities
- Urban vitality – Intensity of use of an urban area
References
edit- ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 434. ISBN 9780415252256.
- ^ "2015 quality of living survey". Mercer. 4 March 2015.
- ^ "Cost of Living". www.numbeo.com.
- ^ Vingerhoets, Ad (28 February 2013), "Why some people cry more often than others", Why Only Humans Weep, Oxford University Press, pp. 162–186, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570240.003.0009, ISBN 978-0-19-857024-0, retrieved 22 July 2023
- ^ "Global Liveability Ranking 2016". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ^ Stephanie Chalkley-Rhoden (16 August 2017). "World's most liveable city: Melbourne takes top spot for the seventh year running". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Auckland ranked most liveable city as pandemic shifts list". BBC News. 9 June 2021.
- ^ "The Global Liveability Index 2022" (PDF). The Economist Intelligence Unit. 2022.
- ^ "The Worldwide Cost of Living Survey". www.eiu.com. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ^ "The world's most liveable cities in 2024" (PDF). The Economist. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Paradise cities | Monocle: Issue 165".
- ^ Getzoff, Marc (14 October 2020). "Global Finance Magazine - World's Best Cities To Live In 2020". Global Finance Magazine. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "World's Best Cities To Live In 2022". Global Finance. 14 March 2022.
- ^ Quality of living city ranking 2023 - Mercer
- ^ a b Taylor, Chloe (20 May 2019). "These cities offer the best quality of life in the world, according to Deutsche Bank". CNBC. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ "About Quality of Life Indices At This Website". www.numbeo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Quality of Life Index by City 2023". www.numbeo.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023.